By the numbers, we were in Mexico 28 days, from January 16 – February 13. We traveled roughly 3568km (2,217miles). It looks something like this:
The first week we rented a car to explore the Yucatan Peninsula. We drove from Cancun as far south as Chetumal and then north toValladolid to see Chichen Itza and then back to Cancun to drop the car. Then we set off by bus to Merida, Progreso, and then our first monster bus ride (8 hours) to the beautiful Mayan ruins in Palenque, a World Heritage Site. Another bus (7 hours) took us to San Cristobal de las Casas epicenter of the 1994 Zapatista uprising. A few days later we moved on to culturally rich Oaxaca (11 hours), then the Pacific beach cities of Huatulco and Puerto Escondido. We left Mexico via a 14-hour bus ride to Tapachula. Mexico has a wonderfully advanced bus system. The buses are comfortable, timely and make travel a breeze.
That outline explains the raw stats but tells nothing of the people we met nor the beauty of our time in Mexico. The trip from Palenque to San Cristobal through jungle and mountains is in my top 10 most scenic rides ever. If you are anywhere near Bacalar, you must visit the lagoon (Lake of Seven Colors) with its deep and mysterious cenotes. Tulum and Mahahual offer beautiful beaches and clear Caribbean waters. Merida is a million people strong, a vibrantly cultural city that bustles to a big city beat. Oaxaca lives up to its reputation as a beautiful, cultural and interesting city. The lure of the Pacific Ocean drew us to the designer city of Huatulco and then to the funkier laid-back city of Puerto Escondido. Four weeks later we were still looking for a place to settle and headed into our first visit to Central America.
The details of our 2013 Mexico tour will wait for another time, but here is a glimpse in no particular order:
The Government Palace in Merida, view from the second floor out to Cathedral.
Great hallway lined with murals by Fernando Castro Pacheco.
Artist & Painter Fernando Castro Pacheco was born in Merida, 1914.
These are only a sampling of the Pacheco murals hanging at the Government Palace.
One more favorite.
Cozumel from the ferry.
Waterfront at Chetumal.
Street art in progress at Playa del Carmen. We ate and watched the artist work.
Mahahual malecon on Costa Maya.
San Cristobal de Las Casas market.
Mayan ruins at Palenque.
Puerto Escondido on the Pacific.
Oaxaca Cathedral at the Zocala.
Oaxaca artisans at the Zocala.
More later…